Back to School
by Citizenofwhoville123
Summary: River and The Doctor get jobs at a small boarding school, where they meet Olivia and Jacob Carter for the first time, but River is hiding an important secret. And it seems that there's something about a watch...
1. Chapter 1

A/N I really wanted to write this story for some reason. It is kind of like my other stories, but it's summer and I'm terrifically busy at the moment, so cut me some slack! I hope you all like this! And I haven't forgotten about my other fics. (really. And sorry in advance for infrequent updates!)

:)

_prologue_

_River Song stumbled through the firey wreckage, clutching a bundle of blankets in each arm, holding the two wailing newborns to her chest. She ducked to avoid being hit by a chunk of debris and leaned forward, trying desperately to make it to the teleport platform._

_Struggling up to the platform, she shifted her bundles with considerable difficulty so that both infants were cradled in one arm, using her now free hand to enter coordinates into the teleport beacon. Hitting enter and holding both her children tightly, she disappeared._

_Appearing in the doorway of her small flat, River quickly entered. Leaning against the wall, she did her best to comfort the terrified children, feeling a growing sense of hopelessness._

_For six months now, she had been dodging around the universe with her twin girl and boy, attempting to adapt her complicated life to care for two needy infants while trying to avoid their oblivious father, who did not even know that River had been pregnant, let alone that he now had two perfect little children. There had been a number of complicated reasons why River had neglected to tell him, but most of all because of what it was clear that she needed to do._

_DW_

_An unwelcome year streaked down River's cheek as she set the baby carrier down on the steps of the orphanage. She pressed a fob watch into each of their tiny, now human hands and kissed them both on the forehead._

_"I'm so, so sorry." she whispered._

_She stepped back to look at them both. Though they both had inherited her curly hair, the little boy's face and eyes were definetely hers, while the beautiful girl, with her dark locks and pretty, angular face took more after her father. Together, they were the perfect mix of her and the Doctor, and she loved them dearly, which was making what she was about to do so much harder._

_She turned away, entering coordinates into her vortex manipulator._

_Before she left, she placed a sheet of paper with scrawly writing on it on in the girl's other hand. It read:_

_Make sure they keep the watches. The boy is Jacob. The girl is Olivia. Tell them I'm sorry._

13 years later...

It was light out, but Livvy Carter was not particularly interested in getting up. The big, old fashioned cuckoo clock on the wall in her room at Good Saint Agnes' Home For Children signaled that it was time to get up for her last day at the orphanage, but instead, she pulled the covers up over her head and attempted to ignore the insistant noise.

"Livvy! C'mon, get up! Last day! Up!"

"God, Jack, go away. I'm still sleeping."

Instead, however, the unseen Jack ames over to the window, throwing open the curtains to let in the harsh sunlight before pulling the covers off of his sister's creaky old bed.

Livvy sat up with an unhappy groan, blinking in the blinding light. She playfully smacked her twin brother on the arm.

"Hey!" he said, indignant, "Anway, you should be happy! This time tomorrow we'll wake up away from here. Granted at school, but still, it'll be somewhere different!"

"Right, yeah. Whatever. Get out, I'm getting dressed!"

With a huffy sigh, Jack left.

Despite her nonchalance around her brother, Livvy was absolutely thrilled to be leaving Saing Agnes' for Nantucket Boarding School. It cost a pretty penny to get into Nantucket, but both Jack and and Livvy's impressive scores (well, more than impressive. Jack had almost scored highest in school history, second only to his sister.) had earned them both spots, even though it was already the start of winter term. The excitement and anticipation about leaving the orphanage they'd had to spend 13 long years of their lives in was enough to rouse Livvy and give her incentive to get up.

Later that day, Jack Carter (well, only Carter because he had felt that he needed a last name to give to people. He didn't know is real surname was, or really anything about his parentage, so Livvy had picked the name a few years ago from a book she had loved at the time.) sat in the window of the train, waving dutifully at the nun that had driven them to the train station. He and his sister were both clutching large suitcases containing their clothing, their few possessions, and, in his sister's case, a few stolen books she had nicked from the bookshelves back at the orphanage. They were dressed warmly but smartly, both in long, dark blue wool coats. Jack wore nothing over his shaggy, somewhat long golden hair, but Livvy had worn her favorite hat,(she had an unfortuanate fondness for them,) a matching dark blue wool cap that, even Jack had to admit looked quite nice with her pretty face and long dark curls. She waved once more and turned to Jack, holding up an intricately carved silver pocket watch.

"Got yours?" she asked.

Instinctively, Jack pulled his own identical watch from his coat pocket, nodding. Livvy stuck hers back in her pocket, but Jack kept his in his lap, running a finger over the strange circular designs engraved on it.

The pocket watches were identical, never opened, covered in strange designs, and the only traces that the twins had left of their parents. They were abandoned one the orphanages' doorstep at only six months old, left only with the watches and a message reading:

_Make sure they keep the watches. The boy is Jacob. The girl is Olivia. Tell them I'm sorry._

Jack had hated that note. 'Tell them I'm sorry,' what kind of message was that? How did that make any of this better? Part of Jack, an infinitely large part, hated his parents, for everything he'd been through, for not being there to raise them. Livvy said that she had forgiven them, and that there was probably a legitimate reason why their parents has left them, and part of Jack felt the same, but more than that was the reality that whoever their parents were, they obviously didn't love or want them. It was why, since he was a toddler, he'd only let people call him Jack, never Jacob like the note suggested, and why, he was sure, Livvy never liked to be called Olivia.

But neither of them had ever, ever tried to get rid of the watch.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Hi! Thanks for the lovely reviews! I was surprised that this got such a great response! (surprised, but very happy!) :)

Do not get used to updates this soon! This is only because I don't think I'll be able to update in the upcoming week! I will if I can, but sorry in advance if I can't!

Enjoy! (I know its really, really short. I'm switching between Livvy and Jack in this chapter, so when you see DW thats why!)

Livvy was sitting in the dining hall, picking at a plate of scrambled eggs in a bored fashion at breakfast when the girl came up to her.

"Hey. You're the new girl, right? Olivia?"

"Yeah. You can call me Livvy."

"Nice to meet you, Livvy. I'm Amanda Jonas." the girl gestured at the seat in front of Livvy. "Can I sit?"

"Sure." said Livvy.

Livvy took a good look at Amanda. The girl had a pale, circular face, short auburn curls, and pale green eyes that had a cheerful sort of look about them. She looked about Livvy's age, but was at least six inches shorter than Livvy. With the way she had approached the 'new girl,' she seemed nice enough. Livvy smiled at her. She could use a friend.

DW

On his first morning away from the orphanage, Jack celebrated by sleeping in.

Of course, this meant that he missed breakfast, so even though his first morning he may be well rested, he was also hungry.

Great.

Jack got out of bed with a yawn, got dressed rather sloppily, and checked his schedule for his first class.

History - Prof. R Song

Jack yawned again, tried to ignore how hungry he was, and set off for class.

DW

"So," said Amanda, "Who've you got first?"

Livvy pulled her schedule out of her new shoulder bag, scanning the list of classes.

"I've got Science." she said.

"Oh, that's with Professor Smith! You'll love him!"

"He's good then?"

"Terrific! My favorite, besides his wife, Professor Song! He's great!"

"Right then. I'd better get going. See you at lunch, Amanda."

"See you!"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! However, I believe I warned you about how bad an updater I am at the beginning of this story. I know it's been a while! (Surprise! I'm not dead after all! Still here, alive and writing...ish...)

Again, sorry! Now, to the chapter! (there wasn't actually any point in this author's note. I just like including them!)

Disclaimer:

Me: Yeah, I now own Doctor Who

BBC: Excuse me, no, you don't. We do.

Me: You Sure?

BBC: Yes.

Me: Completely?

BBC: Yes, we are completely sure that you don't own Doctor Who.

Me: But couldn't I just own it a little bit, like, every third weekend and second Tuesday of the month or something?

BBC: No. Absolutely not.

Me: Why? :(

BBC: This conversation is over!

Yeah, soooooo...if you didn't get it, I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, Alex Kingston's name would appear in the opening of every episode and River would never, ever go to the library. Ever. So I probably won't ever own it. Sorry.

The Doctor...um, make that _Professor Smith _was interested in the new girl in his class that morning.

He, like every other professor, had known about the Carter twins and seen their test scores (they had been...impressive to say the least) but the numbers themselves had given no indication of what their personality was like.

And, as it turned out, Olivia Carter, or, as she had introduced herself, 'just Livvy, thank you very much,' was a brilliant, clever, somewhat insane, tough, and had absolutely no regard for authority.

She had waltzed in precisely five minutes late, evidently on purpose, as he had seen her lurking about in the hallway when he had entered five minutes early. When she entered, he stood up to greet her, extending a hand.

"Hello." he said, jovially, "I'm Professor John Smith. You're Olivia Carter, right?"

Livvy gave him a little wave.

"Hiya, Doctor Smith." she said, grinning evily.

The Doctor, who never gave out his official 'title,' looked at her in shock. She laughed, and leaned forward so that only he could hear her.

"You're registered as a doctor in your official application. It's funny that you don't normally go by it. It'd be a nice benefit for the school. Parents like it when their kids are taught by an official sounding doctor."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, frowning at her.

"How do you know that?"

The girl laughed again. It was really kind of annoying.

"You really need to update your security system, _timelord_. What is that anyway, some stupid club you belong to?"

"Um, yeah. Something like that." he said, stunned. "Now, have a seat. We're studying-"

"The crucial differences between Astrology and Astronomy and the key elements of each as an introduction to your new unit on the solar system. I read your lesson plan too."

Livvy breezily walked down the aisle, took the one empty seat, and sat down, leaning back with her hands behind her head.

If this little exchange wasn't bad enough, Livvy continued to be a nuisance throughout his entire lesson, cutting in frequently with comments and even correcting him. The Doctor started purposely throwing out incorrect facts on purpose, things that no ordinary 13 year old would possibly know, but there was no tripping up Livvy. Halfway through the lesson, the Doctor called her up to the front of the room, handed her a worksheet, and told her to keep quiet. Surprisingly, she did as she was told and remained quiet and studius through the rest of the class.

She left without a word, but with a brilliant smile as she dropped the stack of papers on his desk.

"C1, D7, F4, and B14 are all wrong, or at least poorly worded." she informed him before heading for the door. "See you around, Professor Smith!" she called as she left, the grin never leaving her face.

As the new girl, she could have chosen to make a number of different first impressions, and it was clear that Livvy Carter had chosen to be a bad girl. For some reason, it reminded him of River.

As he left the classroom that day for lunch, the Doctor had decided one thing about Livvy.

He really liked her.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N I have very little to say in this AN, aside from the most gigantic thank you to anyone and everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or alerted! Even to anyone who reads this! You are terrifically awesome!

Oh yeah. Previous Disclaimer still applies!

River Song was more nervous than she had ever felt in her life.

Nervous was not something that could usually use to describe herself. She had never really been nervous. Not in her shadowy memories of being little Melody Pond, under the influence of the silence, not in her current life up until this point, and certainly never as daredevil Mels Zucker. However, now, she felt so nervous that she wanted to call in sick, just to avoid this one history class, to avoid him, if just for a day...

But she was being ridiculous. She was River Song. She could handle anything. This was stupid.

It had been almost 13 years since she had even seen her children. She had done her best to forget, though she didn't think she ever would. But, of course, by sheer coincidence, when she and the Doctor had gotten a job to investigate strange jumps in radiation and alien tech in this school, they met two new students by the names of Olivia and Jacob who had the most impressive test scores in school history, and who River knew so very well...

She had gotten a glimpse of him at breakfast. His hair had straightened out a bit, and it was less curly than it has been when he was a baby, but his eyes and facial structure were definitely hers and exactly as she remembered them. Jacob, or, as she had learned he preferred to be known as, Jack, (which was funny, considering the one person who she has confided in about being pregnant was one Jack Harkness, an old friend of hers and the Doctors)wore a playful expression, but he also had a hauntingly beautiful 'old before his time' sense about him that she couldn't quite explain.

He was beautiful, and she loved him.

She just didn't particularly want to meet him at the moment.

Speaking of Jack Harkness, she really should get in touch with him soon. He had really been such a help when she was pregnant, and she couldn't thank him enough for being so...nice. Nice was not generally the first word that came to mind regarding Jack, but she had to admit, it was true.

_She had wrongly decided to go to a bar, not realizing until she arrived that she probably shouldn't be drinking in her condition. So, instead, she wound up getting a water, which she took over to a table in a corner and sat down with. She didn't realize that she was crying until a tear hit the beat up wood of the table._

_A man (probably drunk) came over to her, babbled a few compliments before leaving, telling her that he 'didn't feel so well, kinda queasy.'_

_Me too. Thought River miserably. But for an entirely different reason._

_She cupped her full glass in her hands, caught up in a torrent of emotions ranging from fear to self pity to inexplicable happiness._

_How did this happen to me? She wondered, though she knew perfectly well how. I can't tell him. Can't tell the Doctor I'm...pregnant._

_Pregnant. Oh my God, what am I going to do?_

_"River Song! You're a sight for sore eye!"_

_River looked up to see the smiling face of Captain Jack Harkness. She blinked furiously, praying that he had not seen her crying, and attempted a smile._

_"Hi." she said, though she was sure that her voice lacked its usually cheer._

_Jack took one scrutinizing look at her and the pulled up a chair, sitting down without a word._

"_Right then. I somehow don't think that these are tears of joy upon seeing me. What happened?"_

_Jack's tone was concerned rather than its usual flirty air. At some point, Jack seemed to have come to the conclusion that River, being who she was, the Doctor's wife, was off limits. This realization had somehow allowed them to become good friends, though River hadn't seen Jack in a long time. However, he was correct in assuming that she wasn't crying because she was happy to see him._

_River couldn't bring herself to speak. Jack looked more worried at this._

"_River, what happened? Is it the Doctor? Did something happen to him?"_

_River shook her head._

"_No. He's fine."_

"_What about you then?" Jack looked at her searchingly, making eye contact. "Did something happen to you? Did he hurt you?"_

"_No. Of course not. It's just….I'm….oh, it doesn't matter, Jack. Don't worry. I'm fine." River drew a deep, shaky breath, trying to compose herself._

_Jack nodded._

"_Fine. If you say so." His tone changed suddenly, more cheery and less concerned, though River could see in his eyes that he was still worried. "So, what are you drinking?"_

_Without asking, he pulled the glass away from the River and took a small taste._

"_It's just water. I didn't feel like anything today."_

_Jack wasn't buying it. His eyes widened in understanding._

"_Oh my God, River." He said. _

"_What?" she asked ,unconvincingly feigning confusion._

"_Don't play dumb. Does he know?"_

_River shook her head._

"_No one does. I – I can't tell anyone."_

"_Well, I guess I know now."_

"_That was accidental."_

_Jack put his hand on top of hers._

"_Let me help."_

_It wasn't a suggestion._

"Professor, are you alright?" asked a student, bringing her back down to Earth (literally.)

River shook her head as if to shake away the memory and then smiled.

"Fine, Amanda." She said. "Just…lost in thought."

She was going to have to bluff her way through this lesson. That was okay. River was nothing if not a very, very good actor.

"Good morning class." She said, quickly searching the crowd but not seeing the particular student on her mind.

"Good morning, Professor." Chorused the class with little enthusiasm. They had an exam that morning, and yesterday's exciting evening concert had probably left them little study time.

"You all look exhausted. Now, since I gather that's not because you were up so late studying, I'll give you ten minutes to look over the chapter. Then, you take the exam, and if you all finish, I'll let you go out for recess early."

There were a few appreciative smiles as every child bent down to grab textbooks or handouts from their bags. That would keep them busy for a few minutes while she waited for her new student to arrive, and it would probably mean that their grades would be better anyway, as he was sure that a number of them hadn't studied at all.

River was leaning back in her chair when she heard the soft knock at the door.

"Come in." called River, her heart racing as the door opened and Jack Carter entered the room.

"Hi." He said, looking around. "I got lost. You're Professor Song, right?"

"That's me." She said. She was acutely aware that everyone had put down their materials and were now instead intently studying the new student who had just arrived. "I'm assuming you're Jack then? I saw your tests. They were quite…impressive."

The kid shrugged. "Liv's were better. You want impressive, talk to her."

River wasn't sure how to respond to this statement, so instead, she quickly changed gears.

"Now, if you want to have a seat, we're just about to take an exam. You of course don't have to take it, but I suppose you could – "

Jack cut her off. "No, I'll take it."

"You sure?" asked River, curiously. "You don't have to."

"Hey," said Jack with a winning smile. "It'll be fun!"

See, how could River not completely love that?


	5. Chapter 5

A/ N I looked at the number of reviews I've gotten on this story and was incredibly blown away! This is the most reviews I've ever received on a story ever! This realization made me grin like an idiot.

Thank you to every reviewer of this story.(or any of my others) Virtual cookies for you all! I really love getting reviews, and I'm really glad that people like this!

Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, there would be far more River and probably Jack. Oh, and the Pond's wouldn't leave, and neither would Matt Smith's Doctor. Ever. So, as many of these have yet to be put into place, I most likely don't own Doctor Who. Almost definitely probably not even a little bit.

River sat on one of the chairs in the Doctor's room, fiddling with a fraying thread on her sweater.

Technically, she had her own room, which was where she should be, correcting that morning's exams, but she was positive that she wouldn't have had the concentration right then to do that. The grades could wait.

The Doctor was rambling on about something. River really payed little attention to what he was talking about until the name

'Olivia' surfaced and she started to listen.

"She's completely brilliant! And she _corrected me!_ Nobody just corrects me! She walked around like she owned the place, like she had some kind of authority, and it's her first day here! And she somehow broke into the secure files! Even our _secure _secure files! She even found the word timelord somewhere! How? And then look at this! I gave her this to keep her quiet."

River looked at the papers in his hands.

"An exam?"

"Yes!" he looked momentarily pleased that River had figured it out, tapping her playfully on the nose. "It's an exam. But the exam, the _final exam_. The final exam that I was planning to give to the 12th grade, the 17 year olds! And it's not an easy exam either! It should be material way out of her depth! But she scored perfectly. Textbook definitions and everything! And she corrected me! Again! She is completely brilliant and really really RUDE!"

"It's good to see you've finally found true love dear. Invite me to the wedding."

The Doctor looked outraged at this. Of course, as soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. Not because she regretted teasing the Doctor, she did so mercilessly at every opportunity, but the idea of her husband...and her daughter...was just...ICK!

"That wasn't funny!" said the Doctor, frowning in an adorable sort of way.

No, it wasn't."Yes it was sweetie!"

"You had her brother today, right? What's his name again? Jake?"

"Jack." said River, quietly correcting him.

Her subdued, almost wistful tone was noticed immediately by the Doctor who gave her a concerned look but didn't comment on it.

"Right. I was close at least. What was he like? Right terror like his sister?"

"No, not really." replied River. "Late, but very apologetic about it. Polite. He seemed actually kind of...I don't know...sweet."

"Well, the lovely Miss Olivia was anything but! She corrected me! Nobody does that!" he frowned once again. "The thing is," he added thoughtfully, "I really do sort of like her, in a strange kind of way."

The Doctor obviously decided that he could ignore her pained expression no longer.

"River, are you alright?" he asked with a worried look.

River smiled, or at least tried desperately to do so. "Of course, my love. I'm fine."

The Doctor didn't look convinced by her denial, but decided to ignore it. River was probably fine, or would eventually explain what was bothering her. It'd be fine.

DW

Livvy's second night at school, she spent an hour studying the school's electronic records before she got bored.

The system had been reasonable simple to hack, and Livvy had always been good on computers, even though she had had access only to an ancient old monitor at the orphanage. It had been one of her favorite topics to research, and she was rather sure that she had the resources available to hack any computer system. It seemed to come naturally to her.

However, Livvy could only sit still in front of a computer for so long before boredom over took her. She left the dorm, dressed in only her ill fitting nightdress.

She wandered through the corridors for a few minutes, secure in the knowledge that if discovered, she could simply pretend that she was lost and looking for the bathroom or something. She was new after all, and no one would expect her to know that sneaking out late at night was against the rules.

After a few minutes, Livvy heard voices from the corridor. Almost unwittingly, she drifted towards the noise, finding a shadowed corner where she could see the figures, but it was unlikely they could see her.

"Amanda Pond! Up rather late aren't we!"

Even though she couldn't see his face, Livvy recognized the voice of Professor Smith. However, she didn't recognize the name he mentioned. She had looked over the names on the student directory when she had hacked the system, and though her memory wasn't perfect and she may have just forgot, she didn't remember seeing an Amanda Pond on the list.

"It's Jonas at the moment, Doctor."

Jonas? It was the Amanda she had met?

"Ah, yes, I keep forgetting. And I'm Professor Smith right now. I do like being under cover. Now, tell me what you're doing up."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. Me? I'm honored."

"Well, you're easier to to talk to then mum or dad, and I can't find River."

"She's on the TARDIS."

"I like you better than the rest of them too, and I know that you like me better as well. I'm the daughter you never had, old man."

Professor Smith laughed cheerfully.

"That you are, Miss Pond."

Though the tone was joking, the words were not, and Livvy was quickly realizing that these two obviously had a much deeper relationship than simply teacher and student.

"By the way, did you meet the new girl today? She said she had your class."

Her? They were talking about her?

"Ah, yes. The lovely Olivia Carter."

"And?" said Amanda.

Why was Amanda talking about her with a teacher? Had she done something wrong?

"And what?"

"What did you think of her?"

"She seemed...spirited. Rude though. And brilliant. A terrible mix."

"Well, I like her."

"I think I do too."

Livvy smiled at this, then wondered why. She hadn't meant to. This situation, with a girl she had hoped might be her friend asking a teacher to analyze her, did not make her happy. And she didn't care at all if these two liked her. Not Amanda. Certainly not Mr. Smith.

Yet she did care. At least about Amanda liking her. She desperately wanted a friend here even if she wouldn't admit it to herself. Though when it came to Professor Smith claiming to 'like' her as well, she didn't think it mattered. She didn't need to make friends with him, and she certainly didn't want to be known as a teacher's pet.

It was nice to think that an adult liked her though.

She stopped this train of thought abruptly however as the Professor once again began to speak.

"That isn't why you're here though. Because you're worried about something, and it's definitely not Livvy's personality. Why did you really come."

There was a pause before Amanda responded.

"I'm worried about River."

Livvy could almost feel the man frown even though she couldn't see him.

"Yes."

Wasn't River his wife's name? The other one who Amanda mentioned, Professor Song? Why did Amanda have cause to be worried about her?

"So you've noticed?"

"Yeah." said Professor Smith, his voice growing almost distant.

"Is she alright?"

"Oh, you know River, she's always alright. I wouldn't worry."

Livvy could tell that he was trying to say it breezily, but there was such a firmness in his voice that even she wouldn't have pursued the subject.

"Right." said Amanda. "I really should be off to bed, and you probably should too. Mum doesn't think you sleep enough, and you look tired, even by my standards."

"I'm being ordered to get some rest from a thirteen year old! I can't believe this!"

But the professor gave Amanda a quick hug, and the two went their separate ways.

After that, Livvy returned to the dorm she shared with Amanda and another girl. Amanda wasn't asleep, but she sat in a chair wearing her pajamas and reading a book, as if she had been sitting there all night.

"Hiya Liv." she said with a slight yawn. "You're up late."

"I was trying to find the bathroom." Livvy lied. "And I could say the same about you."

"I'm such an insomniac, you wouldn't believe it." said Amanda, grinning. "Good night."

"Night." said Livvy and went up to bed, deciding that there had been enough exploring for one night.

A/N I know, another one! But I really want to apologize for being so late to update! Fanfiction has been and really should be the least of my worries right now, and I'm probably not going to be able to update for a few weeks, though I'm usually that long anyway! (Sorry!)

:)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N I am SO SORRY! I really did mean to update, I promise! It's been ages, hasn't it... :( I will work on being quicker next time.

On the other hand...

*Squeals and giggles and jumps up and down* More than 30 reviews! I am ridiculously

Also, I'm not sure if the Doctor is too OOC in this chapter. I'm sorry if he is. I get in poetic moods sometimes.

There's a difference between being well behaved and patient.

In general, Jack actually did consider himself well behaved...mostly. There was nothing wrong with doing stupid things every now and then to get a rise out of people, or something daring to stave off his perpetual boredom. However, Jack had much more self control than most people, especially his sister, and so he didn't have to do those sorts of things to keep himself entertained.

This was why, while Livvy felt the need to engage in sneaking around and eavesdropping, Jack was perfectly content to approach the subject of espionage in a much more...well, subtle way.

The next day, during Professor Song's class, Jack was sure to borrow a book from his teacher, promising to return it later. It was an impressively heavy looking book on archaeology, a subject didn't particularly interest him, but he wasn't looking for bed time reading. Instead, he spent his free time skimming the book in case Professor Song decided to ask questions about it. It really was quite dull, and silly when all was said and done. What was the whole point of being an archaeologist anyway? They seemed to go and dig useless shards of something or other and have a great big guess as to what they were. Why bother? They'd never actually know if they guessed right, and chances were that they weren't.

The wasted afternoon, Jack hoped, would be worth it though if he could spend the evening gaining something worthwhile.

DW

After the previous night's revelations, Livvy decided that it was a good idea to keep an eye on Amanda Jonas. (Pond? She wasn't sure now.) Which was why she was particularly annoyed when Livvy was pulled out of the line to get into the dining hall. The words, "Hey, stop it! Can't you see I'm in line, you idiot!" were out of her mouth before she saw who it was who had so ungracefully removed her from the queue.

To her chargrin and dismay, the mysterious person she had insulted turned out to be Professor Smith, who looked somewhat outraged and mildly amused.

"I'm sure that because of your amazing intellect, darling, all of us common folk must _seem _like idiots to you, and I understand that you feel the need to hide behind cruel accusations so that people won't bother you, but I don't believe that I or any of the other Professors here appreciate being so aptly described." he said.

Against her will, Livvy felt her face reddening. She was truly embarrassed. However, she couldn't very well take it back now, at least not without looking stupid herself. So instead, she smiled up at him.

"Even idiots in positions of power need to hear how stupid they really are sometimes. Now, what do you want? I take it you're not trying to get my position in line."

DW

The Doctor glanced around at the heads that had turned to watch this little exchange before looking back at Livvy, who scowled in annoyance.

"Shall we walk, Miss Olivia?"

Olivia followed him, and for a minute or so they did just walk, until they were out of earshot, when the she stopped him and glared.

"Don't call me Olivia." she said, though the Doctor saw not anger or annoyance in her gaze, but pain, and almost a strange sort of longing.

_Of course, _he thought, for the first time feeling a bit of empathy for this smartmouthed child. _Of course she would dislike being called by her birth name. She was abandoned by her parents as a baby, and that name is the only thing they left her with. She tells herself that she feels resentment, even hatred, and severs the one tie to them she has left. That's what she thinks she thinks at least. But that longing in her eyes, that why she doesn't like it. Because against her will, she is wistful for those parents she never knew, those parents never there for her. And she's too stubborn to admit that those are her true feelings, and too ashamed of them to realize that they are completely normal, and in a way, they are what makes her human._

The Doctor wanted in that moment to embrace Olivia, to hold her and promise her that he understood, and that he would somehow find a way to be there for her. Wanted it enough that it practically took his breath away, the intensity of the feeling. He wasn't sure what it was about Olivia that caused this, maybe it was because he was able to understand her situation, brilliant yet so lonely, so adeptly, or maybe it was because she reminded him so much of River. However, he knew that she didn't want pity at this particular moment and even if she had, she wouldn't have wanted it from him. Instead, he questioned her response.

"Why? It is the name your parents gave you, is it not?"

He felt cruel to say it, as he saw her face harden. He wondered if, in that pause before he had spoken, she had wondered if maybe he got it, maybe somebody understood her. Or maybe she hoped he might actually respect her wishes. Either way, he had crushed that hope.

"It's a stupid name." she said shortly.

"Nonsense, it's lovely. A very decent name. It suits you."

This only seemed to anger the girl more. She was fun to goad, even if he was being a tiny bit dense and cowardly, hiding behind cutting remarks as much as she was.

"Call me Olivia, and I'll call you Doctor." she spat. The Doctor didn't even pretend to be surprised. If she really had been digging around his files, no doubt she had found the title somewhere.

"Fine, Olivia." he said, with a hint of a smile.

Olivia seemed to concede to having lost this round of banter.

"Doctor, you still haven't answered my question."

"What question?"

"Why did you pull me out of line?"

The Doctor looked severely at her, trying to look stern.

"Just to point out that curfew starts at 11 pm. I would have expected you to know this, since I would have thought you'd know everything about this place already. I suppose I can forgive you ignorance though."

Olivia was clearly offended that she had been mentioned in the same sentence as the word 'ignorance.'

"I know all the rules. It doesn't mean I have to follow them."

So Olivia as good as admitted she was out of bed after curfew the night before. Apparently she had been thier little visitor after all. How nice of her to confirm it.

"Alright." he said. "Thank you. You can go now."

And he walked away from her down the hall towards dinner without another word.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Hi! I am again sorry about the wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I will warn everyone that I really didn't have a chance to go over this for grammar and such, so I'm sorry about any errors. Feel free to point them out.**

**Also, sorry if I don't respond to your reviews. I always mean to, but sometimes I do and sometimes I forget. Rest assured that every single review/alert/favorite is much appreciated!**

**Anyway, enough of this rambling! Here you go!**

Livvy was left reeling after her encounter with Professor Smith.

She stood in the hall without moving, feeling as if she had somehow become much, much heavier. She wasn't quite sure what had come over her.

No, no, she was sure. It had been the look, that look in the professor's eyes, kind and gentle and, dare she say, understanding? She had allowed herself, or at least that small bit of her that actually understood herself completely, as most of her didn't, to think that maybe he did understand, why her name hurt so much to hear spoken. She told herself that she had the same reason as Jack for shying away from her real name, loathing and resentment for the parents that abandoned them, but, like him, that wasn't the whole reason, not at all. No, Livvy didn't care about her missing parents faults or shortcomings, she just wanted them to be there. And that wasn't ever going to happen.

Livvy smiled tightly, realizing how miserable she sounded, but hey, it had been a long day. Even she deserved the chance to indulge in self pity now and again.

Livvy headed to dinner. This wasn't actually doing her any good, and she was starving.

DW

Jack ate quickly with little thought given to the food he was eating and left dinner while most of the school was still eating, stopping only to wave to Livvy as he passed where she was having what seemed to be a somewhat halfhearted conversation with a

red haired girl sitting across from her. He considered stopping to say hello, but she seemed absorbed in her forced conversation and he didn't really have the time to chat.

He jogged back to his room, went in, and quickly grabbed the borrowed book from where it rested on his pillow. He tucked it under his arm, pulled a few wayward gold locks away from his forehead, and set off for the teacher's lodgings.

DW

The Doctor was busily working at his computer when he heard the knocks at the door, first soft rapping and then somewhat louder when they were not answered.

"Come in." he called. He hoped it was River. Even if River had been rather gloomier than her usual cheerful bouncy self, after his conversation with Livvy, which had struck him emotionally more than he understood, he could use some cheering up.

Another knock. No, not River. She wouldn't have continued to knock, instead just letting herself in. Who else would be visiting at this time in the evening, while most students had free time to relax and complete their homework before bed? Maybe Amy or Rory or Amanda, though he thought not.

A final knock, this one loud and hard against the wooden door.

"Alright, come in." he called, shutting his laptop with a sigh.

The door opened, and The Doctor was surprised to see a student standing in the doorway, a boy of probably 13 holding a heavy book to his chest.

"Hello, sorry, but I was looking for Professor Song. The sign on her door said to come here if she didn't answer her door. Is she here? I wanted to return a book I borrowed."

The boy gestured to the book in his hands and smiled somewhat sheepishly as if embarrassed to have wound up talking to him.

"I can take it for you, if you like." offered the Doctor.

"Sorry," the child apologized again, smiling once more. "I don't mean to be a bother, but could I wait until she's back? I had a question on something mentioned, a term I didn't recognize, and I was wondering if I could ask her about it."

The Doctor saw the boy's earnest expression and smiled slightly.

"Sure. You can sit." he gestured to a chair in the corner of the room. "Like I said, River shouldn't be much longer."

DW

Livvy lay flopped down on her bed, watching Amanda's shadow pace in the next room. Amanda seemed to be making a phone call, though Livvy couldn't tell what she was saying, it seemed to be a rather cheerful discussion, as her step was light.

Livvy heard Amanda laugh loudly from the other room and a loud exclamation that sounded a whole lot like 'Mum!' and she got out of bed, intrigued. After Amanda's little rendezvous with the professor and the friendly nature with which they had spoken, Livvy was really starting to wonder exactly what was going on with Amanda.

She pressed her ear to the door and strained to make out what Amanda was saying.

"Are you guys still that janitor? You are still the Tesselector, right?"

Livvy's face screwed up in confusion. What on earth was she talking about? What was a Tesselector? For goodness sake, who was the kid?

Amanda spoke again,

"Right. I'll be there in a second. Have you seen River?"

A pause.

"You're right. Okay, I'm on my way. Love you."

Amanda hung up the phone, stashed it in a pocket, and went for the door. Livvy, wanting to see where she was going, poked her head out of the door and called Amanda's name. The red head stopped and turned to look at her.

"Oh, hi Liv. Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."

Livvy smiled. "It's fine. I was doing homework." This wasn't strictly a lie, as she had done a bit of work, though she quickly tired of it. She didn't sleep all that much, and she could finish anything she needed to later at night.

"I'm going to go out for a bit." said Amanda breezily. Obviously whatever curfew Livvy had gotten in trouble for breaking didn't apply to Amanda. "You found the bathroom and stuff okay last night, right?

"Yeah." said Livvy, not letting her smile waver as a plan started to form in her head. "In fact, I was just headed there. Thanks for asking."

"Right then. See you."

Amanda left, shutting the door behind her. Livvy took a moment to dash back to her room and grab a toothbrush (it may or may not have been hers, though it really didn't matter, as she wasn't actually going out to brush her teeth.) before slipping out the door.

DW

River entered the Doctor's room with a slight smile. Spending an evening on the TARDIS really had improved her mood, even if it did mean that there was still a stack of papers that needed grading from the day before. She didn't bother to knock, simply letting herself in. She glanced around and her eyes widened.

The Doctor sat in an armchair, leaning foward and talking with Jack.

"It's a difficult concept, I know." he was saying, and the boy sitting across from him frowned, tilting his head to one side.

"Yeah. I think I get it. So-"

He stopped abruptly, looking up at River.

"Hello, Professor." he said, looking guilty as if he had been caught doing something wrong. "Sorry. I was just returning your book."

"We were talking." offered the Doctor, as if it weren't obvious.

"I noticed." said River. Then, turning to Jack, "You're already finished? Do you have any questions?"

Jack smiled, clearly more relaxed.

"Just one. Where is Clavious XI? I've never heard of it."

The earnest expression on his face caused River to smile back at him.

"A long way away." she said with a michevious grin. "And them some."


	8. Chapter 8

Jack was exhausted and couldn't seem to sleep.

Professor Song had sent him back to his room only moments before. ("I'm sorry, dear, but you really need to get up to bed. Keeping you up this late will get us in trouble.") Professor Smith had been all for him staying around to chat and he had been quite willing,("River, we're having an intellectual conversation. We won't get in trouble!") but Professor Song had put her foot down. ("No, I'm sorry, you really do need to leave, and Professor Smith would be wise to keep his mouth shut and not make trouble. I'll see you in class tomorrow.")

So with a sheepish grin and an apology for taking up their time, Jack had left and now here he was, back in bed. And he really was tired, truly. He just couldn't seem to be able to or to even get comfortable in bed. He tried fluffing up his pillow, moving it, laying on his back and then on his stomach, cacooning himself tightly in the blankets and then tossing them off, but nothing was working. He felt uneasy as well, some kind of strange instinct not allowing his eyes to close all the way.

Finally, after a couple minutes of tossing and turning, Jack stood up, figuring he'd go down to the bathroom and see if a walk helped. He was just nearing the door when he heard a noise from behind him. He turned around to see what, if anything, it was.

As it turned out, this was his big mistake.

From behind him, someone's calloused hand shot out to grab him and pull him back, one hand grabbing his waist and the other secured around his mouth before he had a chance to scream. Jack struggled like mad, trying squirm away from the man's (Jack was guessing his attacker was male by the size of the hands and their height, tall enough to grab him from behind without him feeling their neck or shoulders) grip, though his efforts appeared to be mostly in vain.

The man removed both his hands for just a fraction of a second, and Jack was able to utter a single terrified cry for help before the hands returned, squeezing around his neck.

Jack's hand finds his pocket almost subconsciously and his fingers wrap around the pocket watch.

Help me, he thinks, though he can't imagine why he thinks a watch would help.

"Don't struggle, boy, or my friend here will break your precious little neck."

The voice comes from the corner of his room. It is female and there is an iciness in it's tone. Jack strains to move forward to see the figure, but, true to their words, the hands around his neck tighten enough to cause pain and effectively cut off his ability to breath.

"I said not to move. Now, let's go." Jack barely recognizes the words through a haze of lightheadedness that is quickly forming over his rational thoughts.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Jack is thinking clearly enough to know that someone else has spoken. The voice is pleasant and male and isn't coming from behind him.

"Who are you?" Asks the woman.

"Captain Jack Harkness. I've come from the Doctor for Jack here. I'm going to give you three seconds to run. One..."

The man trails off as Jack feels the hands leave his throat and hears a sound like crackling electricity.

Confused, disoriented and breathless, Jack stumbles around got a few seconds before falling rather un gracefully to the floor.

DW

Jack rushed forward to grab the boy's head before it hit the ground.

"Last thing you need right now is a whack on the head, don't you think?" He says, more to himself than to his dazed namesake.

"Who were they?" Asks Jacob, (Jack cannot think of him as Jack without getting confused.) his voice shaky. "What did they want?"

Jack sighed. He was rather hoping the Jacob could answer that question for him.

"It doesn't matter. They're gone."

"Good." Mutters the child, his eyes shutting. Jack closes his own as well, leaning his head against the door.

_River wouldn't let him in the room during the delivery, so Jack Harkness is sitting in the waiting room when he hears River's newborns crying for the first time, first one and then both of them. It is a few moments before they let him in, so he is already standing up when a nurse comes out to invite him to see his friend._

_When he enters, River looks exhausted but, as Jack is pleased to see, happier than she had looked for months. She has both of her little twins cradled to her chest and she smiles at Jack._

_Jack sits down and takes a look at the closest child, the girl. He reaches up to touch her damp dark curls but quickly draws his hand away she glares at him, clearly annoyed._

_"I don't think she likes you very much." Says River, laughing. _

_"I have that effect on people." Said Jack. "Have you though of a name for her?"_

_"Olivia, after Rory's mum." River says softly, brushing her daughters now messed up curls out of her eyes. To Jack's chargrin, the child does not react so hostilely to her mother, instead reaching up to curl a hand possessively around River's finger. "Olivia Donna Song."_

_"That's a lovely name for her. The Doctor would approve."_

_River frowns a bit at that._

_"He would, wouldn't he. I keep wishing he were here. He would love them both so much, especially Olivia..."_

_She trails off, obviously wishing she hadn't allowed herself to think about it, and then shifts to pick up her other child._

_"Here."_

_She carefully hands the boy to Jack. Jack looks down at the child who blinks up at him, eyes wide. Unlike Olivia, who looks much like her absent father with her dark hair and greenish eyes and the same face, though slightly softened in the girl's features, the boy looks very much like River, complete with the woman's golden curls. _

_"And the handsome young man's name?" Asks Jack, pleased to find that the infant doesn't seem to mind him touching his hair._

_"Jacob. Jacob Theta Song. But not Jake for short. It doesn't suit him."_

_"No?" _

_"No. I was thinking Jack."_


End file.
